Between Worlds
by Saga of Eternal Rain
Summary: There is a mute girl in Storybrooke who cannot talk and often stares forlornly out at the waters. There is a pirate in Fairy Tale Land bent on revenge. And there is the Savior who is supposed to bring back happiness once lost. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems . . . Hook x Ariel
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Between Worlds

**Series:** Once Upon a Time

**Major Pairing:** Hook x Ariel – Salvaged Hook / Pirate's Ballad

Note: Although the official fan pairing name has yet to be determined, my friend and I came up with the above two names respectively, and are proud of it even if neither becomes the official shipping name for Hook x Ariel.

**Summary:** There is a mute girl in Storybrooke who cannot talk and often stares forlornly out at the waters. There is a pirate in Fairy Tale Land bent on revenge. And there is the Savior who is supposed to bring back happiness once lost. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems, for the enemies are each two sides of one coin and are complexly interwoven with every single character in town . . . Welcome to the world of Once Upon a Time, where magic comes with a price and words matter as much as actions.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Once Upon a Time. But if I did, Ariel would be super awesome and Mulan would get more lines and kick-ass action scenes. Also, Daniel and the Huntsman would be alive.

**Acknowledgements:** to **Shimmertail**'s _while storms are raging high _fanfiction which started my journey as a Hook x Ariel lover for Once Upon a Time.

* * *

Chapter One

A young woman stands by the railing of the docks. Her head rests on an arm and her eyes look out at the waters. She is a resident of Storybrooke, one of its many members. For as long as she can remember, she has had an aversion to water, yet she cannot stop herself from coming to stand by it daily. The salty wind and sound of crashing waves feel soothing, yet she cringes if even a single spray touches her. It is a curious, curious thing, and though she has had sessions with Dr. Hopper, she cannot fully convey the depths of her feelings. This is because she has no voice and the words she writes on papers are not enough. Her aversion and love towards water frustrates her immensely, but her companion Marco understands and reassures her that it will be alright.

This day is like every other day; it has no signs to make it different in her eyes. This is what sets her apart from the other citizens who are too involved in the town's events, what with the arrival of newcomer Emma Swan who turned sheriff. But she is not alone, for there are others who are not quite involved in the war between Sheriff Swan and Mayor Mills.

Henry Mills was the mayor's son. Everyone knew him—he ran everywhere and met everyone. He was a fun child with a large imagination. So large that he insisted everyone was a fairy tale character. He sat on the bench while she leaned on the railing at the docks, and she listened to him rattle off his theory on which character she was. It was always the same, an old argument.

"You have red hair, you could be Ariel, the Little Mermaid," is what he insists and she can only give him an amused smile. She raises a hand and gestures it to her bare throat. The message is clear: if she is the Little Mermaid, then why can she not sing?

He smiles at her. "Well, her voice got taken by the witch, remember?"

She makes a heart with her hands and then opens her mouth. This is a little trickier to figure out, but Henry is perceptive boy and can follow her train of thought, or at least the obvious concern. Not to mention they have had this conversation more than once. If she is Ariel, then hasn't her true love been found, and her voice returned to her?

"Well, maybe you haven't found your true love yet. Or the Queen's curse took away your voice again," Henry says.

She turned and gestured out at the ocean waters beyond the land they stood on. She had told him the first time they met that she was mute and had a strange aversion towards water. This was the point that he could not figure out, because in all the tales, Ariel loved the water. Mermaids couldn't live without it. So why did she not like it? That point was her argument: she could never be the mermaid.

This is where she is, standing by the ocean and feeling the cold wind, when a shock goes through her entire being, and all of a sudden she _knows_. But before she can come to terms with this revelation, the purple mist comes up from behind without warning and engulfs her. The force of this mist, this roiling purple cloud blows her forward and she grabs onto the railing to secure herself. In another moment, it has gone, dissipated. But in its wake is a fierce redheaded woman who now knows herself.

Henry was right.

She was Ariel, seventh daughter of King Triton and the youngest princess of Atlantica. She had traded her voice away for legs in order to win the heart of the prince she saved from drowning. But true love's kiss _hadn't_ worked, and as a result, she belonged to her contractor. And to show off her power, to show how she had controlled one of nature's wildest creatures, she kept the mermaid from the sea by staying her legs, kept the voice that moved hearts, and above all, kept her from making a move against her.

Now, with the curse broken and her memories restored, Ariel was caught in a mix of whirling emotions. She didn't know what to think, exactly. But she knew what she felt. Bitterness.

Her love was not enough, and she has no voice, no waters to swim. Nothing. It upset her, but what could she do? Nothing. In this sense, she would have preferred to have stayed cursed and unaware. But it had already been broken, so the only option she had left was to persevere.

And now that she remembers, she thinks back of her family, of the one she left behind willingly all those many years ago for a chance she thought would lead to her happiness. She wonders with tears of their fate, for since the Dark Curse had been enacted, she has never seen them, not even a glimpse in all her time in town. As she did many times before, she questions why the kiss had not worked. And a mere fleeting thought is spared towards a young pirate she knew for what seems like a lifetime ago.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

There was a commotion in town. It was not with a bunch of individuals though. No, it was made by every single inhabitant of Storybrooke. Everyone remembered who they were, and they knew exactly who brought them here. Ariel let herself be swept into the angry mob, walking straight to the front steps of Mayor Mills' house, aka The Queen Regina's home. Dr. Whale headed the front, shouting all the while and whipping everyone into a frenzy. They saw red. They would kill the Queen. They would make her suffer. And then they would return home.

Ariel was not in the front when they arrived at their destination, but she was still able to get a good view of the action up front. Around her, the angry mob shouted, and hearing them around her, Ariel felt pretty angry herself. Dr. Whale banged on the door of the Mayor's house and the crowd watched her exit. She and the doctor exchanged words loud enough for the rest of them to hear, and when Regina addressed them and snapped her fingers, they cowered, expecting magic. But nothing happened.

"She's powerless!" A boy next to Ariel shouts. "Get her!"

Regina was too shocked by that fact to resist the mob coming at her. She was shoved up against a column by Dr. Whale when Emma, Henry, Mary Margaret, David Nolan, the nuns, Ruby, Granny, and the dwarves arrived to intervene.

"Let her go!" Emma forced Dr. Whale to release Regina and they formed a barrier between Regina and the crowd.

"Move aside! We need to make her pay!" A man yelled.

"We are not murders here!" Emma shouted.

"And despite everything she's done, Regina doesn't deserve this." Mary Margaret told them. "Her death won't give us any answers. She needs to be locked up for her own safety . . . and ours."

The crowd dissipated unhappily, but seeing Regina being towed away to the jail is enough for most of them. Ariel wanders around town restlessly, going wherever her feet take her, but it's not enough. Nearing evening, she finds herself back at the Marine Garage, and enters the workshop where Marco is bent over the table with pieces of paper everywhere. She knocks on the door and succeeds in getting his attention when his head lifts and his hand stops moving. "Ah my dear."

Ariel makes her way over to him and gives a confused glance towards the papers, which all have a picture of young boy drawn on it. They are wanted posters, for a boy named Pinocchio, written in red. Ariel pointed at the boy questioningly.

"My name is Geppetto, and this is my son, Pinocchio." Marco explains, and Ariel smiles at him, wanting to share herself as well. But she cannot talk. So she reaches over and takes one of the blank sheets, as well as a pencil lying nearby.

_Ariel_, she scrawls, and shows it to him.

"Ariel," he read, and looked back at her. "It's a wonderful name. But you still cannot talk?"

She shook her head regretfully, and he patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry my dear. It is of no matter. We can find a remedy later." She nodded, and pointed at Pinocchio's picture again.

"Pinocchio. My dear, dear son." Marco said, looking at his drawings with a mixture of sadness and fondness. "I must find him. He has to be here."

Ariel hugged the elderly man who was her dearest companion in Storybrooke comfortingly.

"Thank you," he told her, and she picked up the paper and started to copy the sketches.

"You're going to help me?" Marco whispered, with some disbelief.

Ariel nodded.

"But what about your family?" He asked. "Don't you have anyone to look for?"

Ariel shook her head and looked away sadly, the thoughts of her family coming to the front of her mind. They weren't here in Storybrooke, of that she was sure.

"Again, you have my gratitude Ariel."

Ariel laughed, but no sound came out. _"There's no need for that,"_ she signed. _"We're friends, aren't we?"  
_

He smiled. "Yes, we are."

The ground shakes suddenly, and they clutch at the table for support. "What was that?" Marco voices aloud their question, and they go towards the window. Looking out, the sky is dark, but they can still see a large shadow receding from them towards the rest of town.

Ariel narrows her eyes. _"Wraith,"_ she signs to Marco. _"We should stay inside until it passes."_

He nodded and they go around the building, making sure all the doors and windows were locked before returning to the workshop area. They spent the next three hours making posters before going to bed. The next day they walked out into town with a stack of papers each. At the front of the town hall, Marco hangs up a poster on the bulletin while Ariel walks around, handing out papers to the citizens. Ruby's voice rises above the din for attention.

"If you are looking for a family member, come to the front table. If you need counseling, Dr. Hopper has a signup sheet. If the wraith damaged your house, there are cots at the school."

But even she says this, the crowd continues in their unruly manner. They were scared, panicked, and didn't know what to do next. It was made worse when moments later, Leroy came shouting about terrible news. What he said next roused the crowd into a panic, and to calm them, David shouted for attention. "People! Everybody! Everybody, meet back here in two hours. I'll tell you my plan to fix everything."

But he didn't. Two hours later, everyone was in the town hall, waiting for David to tell them their plan, and he didn't show. Instead, Regina arrived, and armed with magic. Henry willing left with her then, to stop the rest of them from getting hurt. But they were filled with terror at the sight of Regina's newfound powers, and it came to an agreement that they would leave Storybrooke, risking their true selves in order to escape from Regina.

Ariel arrived at the Marine Garage to find Marco already inside and packing up.

"Ah. Ariel, there you are." Briefly, he pauses in his motion.

"_You're leaving,"_ she signs, and he sighs heavily.

"What else can I do? The Queen has magic again, and Pinocchio, my boy, maybe he's not here, but out _there_. I have to find him."

"_But if you leave, you'll forget you had a son." _Ariel gently reminds him.

Marco cast his eyes downward. "There's no other option. Ariel, I'm going to leave. Will you stay, or come with me?"

The redhead thinks about it, and though the decision is not easy, it is the only one left to her. _"I'll come with you. There's no one here left for me anyway." _And this is true. Her family was most likely left behind in their old world, and since there was no way back… well, what did she have to lose? There was no point in staying, not when she would have to be stuck with only Regina and Henry for company. She went into another room and gathered her belongings, returning to Marco with only one suitcase in her hand. She never had much to begin with, anyway.

"Ready?"

They got into the car, and followed the other cars down the road leading out of Storybrooke. Everything was rolling smoothly, when the car in front of them stopped, forcing them to a halt. They got out of the vehicle to see what had caused the commotion, following the rest of the crowd to the front where David was standing atop of his truck. He addressed all of them, and gave the speech that they had been waiting for back at the town hall, the one that he had never showed up to deliver.

"Listen to me! Listen. If you cross that line, you're gonna be lost. Everyone who loves you will lose you. But there's something worse. You'll lose yourself."

Ariel didn't know what it was, but something about David's words were compelling. It must have been the feelings he was projecting... so raw, determined, pleading for them to believe him, to stay… Ariel considered his words. If she crossed that line, she would lose everyone she loved. But she had already lost them, hadn't she? When she traded her tail for legs, she had lost them, and they were back in the other land. Wasn't that place lost to them too? But David pressed on. No, this was not David Nolan, Ariel realized. This was Charming speaking now.

"Look, I get wanting to leave here. I do. And I get that it's easier to let go of bad memories, but… even bad memories are part of us. David, Storybrooke David was… _is_… weak… confused… and he hurt the woman I love. I wouldn't give up being Charming just to be him."

Ariel remembered when she was stuck on land after the deal had been completed, the deal in which she had lost. She had been lost then as well, straddling two worlds, much like she was now, like Charming was saying.

"But you know what? I wouldn't make the other trade either, because that David reminds me not only of whom I lost… But of who I want to _be_ my weaknesses and my strengths. David _and_ The Prince."

When he put it that way, she had to agree. For in all of her years, the one consistent thing had been learning from her mistakes and moving on, like her father and sisters had taught her. She was the youngest, so she made numerous mistakes. But they, living as long as they did before her, made just as many mistakes. They taught her how to go forward and not dwell in the past, because it would do no good. Not even the Trident could turn back time, or raise the dead, and it wasn't to be used for trivial things either. It belonged to Atlantica and the safety of the merfolk. That was how she was able to endure her time with the witch.

"I _am_ both… Just like you. _You_ are both. The _town_ is both. _We_ are both. Stay here, and every choice is open to you. Live in the woods if you want. Hell, live in a shoe if you want. Or eat frozen burritos and write software. Let's open Granny's and the school and get back to work. I _will_ protect you. She won't be able to hurt any of us, not as long as I'm alive. Not as long as well all come together… As we did _before_… As we shall do again."

Ariel turns to Marco, no, Geppetto who is beside her. His gaze is riveted onto Charming, but Ariel can tell the effect the words have been on him. Hope is on his face, where it had been gone earlier. He's willing to stay and work towards another day, and turning Ariel can see it in the faces of all the others. They light up like a beacon, full of new hope and determination, even if they can't see it themselves. This was one of the many things that fascinated Ariel about the human race, one of the only things that captivated her. For they were angry, violent, almost barbarian, yet they could turn around and be like _this_. It made her wonder, and it made her look at them differently once more.

She tapped Geppetto's shoulder and when he looked at her, she smiled. He smiled back. "I guess we're here to stay after all." They had both known that he hadn't wanted to leave, that he hadn't wanted to forget his son, the boy he had only _just_ remembered a day ago.

Slowly, the crowd dispersed, the citizens making their way back into town. Ariel and Geppetto both returned to the Marine Garage and returned their belongings to their original place. While Geppetto goes to Granny's Diner, Ariel returns to the docks, and vows to survive once more. She had done so before, in less favorable situations, and in conditions far worse than her current one, but she would preserve.

* * *

**A/N:** So, the results are in. Guess what? The official ship name for Hook x Ariel is Hookriel, which although is not terribly creative, is well enough. If you want to check it out, you can look it up on tumblr. (By the way, it's not me who made the poll.) Anyways, I hope this chapter turns out to your liking. The next chapter will also take place in Storybrooke, but the one after will have a whole lot of Hook, so look forward to that. Thanks for reading and don't be shy to drop off a review.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Marco returned from Granny's Diner with a bit of hope mixed with disappointment in his face about twenty minutes after Ariel returned from the docks. Ariel cocked a confused head at him and he smiled. "It was August, my Pinocchio was August, that new assistant of mine."

Ariel's eyes widened. She hadn't met him officially, had only seen him from afar, but even then she knew the person whom Marco spoke of was no child. _"Did you talk to him at Granny's?"_

Marco sighed. "No, he wasn't there when I went to see him."

Ariel was startled. _"Then how did you know it was him?"_

"Henry told me, but he was gone when I arrived." But all the same, the older man began to cry tears of joy. "My boy is here, and he is alive! I had thought I would never see him again, but he was here. Oh, my boy."

Ariel smiled. _"If he's here, then he can't leave. Storybrooke isn't that big. I'm sure we'll find him in no time. And if we don't, well, he'll always find us,"_ she signed encouragingly.

Marco nodded. "Yes, yes. You're right of course. Ah, I cannot wait for the day!"

So they busy themselves, because they know that it is no use if they merely sit and do nothing. Time is still moving in Storybrooke, and for that they are glad.

Two days later, Ariel left to re-stock their supplies, which had gotten low due to the breaking of the curse and the unleashing of the wraith. She entered Granny's Diner and ordered some breakfast, which Ruby brought to her in a couple of minutes.

"Here you go, Maribel. I haven't seen you in a while." Ruby said as she set down the plate that held pancakes accompanied by some fresh fruit.

Ariel smiled her thanks at the other, digging into her food hungrily.

"No problem. Ring me over if you need anything else." Ruby said, leaving her to serve another customer.

Another girl entered the Diner a few minutes later, one whom Ariel had never seen before. She had long, rich brown curls and wore a nice blue dress. She was rather pretty, and Ariel wondered who she was. The girl ordered ice tea. In fact she ordered three iced teas, and Ruby, being the friendly gal she was, sat down to talk to her. By this time, Ariel was finished with her food and left the diner after paying Granny who manned the cash register.

Ariel made her way down to the Bazaar, which was Storybrooke's local grocery store run by Sodom, who was Farid's uncle. Arriving there, she overheard a tense exchange between the two family members.

"I don't care whether you want to or not boy. In this world, we are uncle and nephew. Now go stack those watermelons." Sodom standing behind the cash register told the other matter-of-factly.

"Well, you should at least raise my pay! Even Ruby gets more money than me!" Farid said, rubbing a hand through his dark hair with exasperation.

"We have other workers to pay you fool. Get to work." Sodom said, clearly annoyed.

Farid rolled his eyes and left his uncle, seeing Ariel in the process. "Hey, Maribel. How's Marco?" he said, walking over to her.

"_He's doing well. And if you see August around, please let us know."_ Ariel signed, and moved in the direction of the fruit aisle.

Farid frowned, following her. "August? The other stranger? Why?"

"_He's Pinocchio, Geppetto's son. Geppetto is Marco."_ She explained.

"Oh. Yeah that makes sense. I'll keep an eye out for him." Farid said reassuringly. "By the way, who are you? In our world I mean. I'm Aladdin." He handed her several oranges and bananas which she took and put into her basket.

"_Ariel. Who's your uncle?"_ she asked.

"Ariel, huh? That's nice." Farid said before scowling. "Ugh, he's Jafar. He's not even my real uncle! And he tried to kill me. Now he's telling be to civil and to look forward, and let go of the past. What a jerk! He tried to kill me, and now he wants me to forget it?!" Farid rolled his eyes and sighed. "But it's not like I have any choice. Not in this world anyway."

Ariel patted his shoulder sympathetically and he cocked his head to the side. "Still no voice?"

She shook her head and shrugged, making her way over to the canned food section, and selecting several soups.

"Well, let me know if you see a girl with long dark hair and tan skin walking around. Her name is Jasmine. And in exchange I'll let you know if I see stranger number two anywhere." Farid told her.

Ariel nodded and then mimed stacking with her hands. He scowled. "Drat, I forgot about that," he said sulkily, and Ariel laughed though no sound came out. "I'll be back," Farid told her and left to stack the watermelons.

She finished up the rest of her shopping in no time and made her way over to Sodom behind the desk holding the cash register, setting down her basket on the counter.

"Good day, Maribel. I trust you are doing well?" Sodom asked, since it was part of the job to be polite. And the mute girl who lived with Marco, one of his few friends in town, was pleasant enough. She was always helping out the older man, something he pointed out to Farid, that useless nephew of his, often. Except Farid was actually Aladdin, who was actually his prince but before that, a commoner, and Jafar was certainly not his uncle.

She nodded and gestured to him.

"I'm well enough. Except for that idiot nephew of mine who needs to stop slacking off." Sodom said, raising his voice on purpose. "That'll be twenty-two-fifty, my dear."

Ariel handed the money to the older man as Farid came back from stacking the watermelons.

"I heard that," he said scowling.

Sodom rolled his eyes. "Help Miss Scala bag her groceries. I'm going to check on the stocks in the back." He said while handing Ariel her receipt, leaving when Farid reached them. "No fooling around either. You're a promised man."

Farid rolled his eyes while he bagged Ariel's groceries. "Sorry about that. He drives me crazy all the time." He finished and handed her the bags. "Have a nice day. And don't forget to let me know if you see Jasmine, alright?"

Ariel took the bags and nodded.

Farid smiled at her. "Thanks! And I'll keep an eye out for August. I'll let you know the moment I see him."

Ariel left the Bazaar with a sprightly spring to her walk. No one was better at spotting things like Farid was, and Ariel was sure she could count on him to report back if he found August. Up ahead on the sidewalk, she spotted Mr. Hopper. Noticing her as well, Mr. Hopper stopped and waved, waiting until she had caught up to him.

"Ah, Maribel," he greeted pleasantly. "I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"

Ariel smiled in return—she couldn't sign very well with full hands, but at the moment she didn't want to engage in a conversation with the town therapist.

Archie smiled back at her. "That's good to know. Can you speak?"

Ariel shook her head again, this time with a little annoyance on her features. Just how many times was she going to have to answer that question? She wanted her voice back more than anybody, but no one could return it.

"I see," Archie said understandingly. "Remember, if you ever need someone to listen, I'm here, okay?"

Ariel nodded and the two went their separate ways. As soon as Ariel returned to the Marine Garage, she put everything away and began to tidy the place up. Marco was out performing his job and keeping an eye out for his son. An hour later, Ariel finished and left, making her way out to the harbor. However, considering that she was to keep an eye out for August, Ariel decided to go the long way instead.

She passed by many people, smiling in return when they cared to greet her with a hello. But there was still no sign of August. Walking by the school, she heard a familiar voice, and when she looked over she was surprised to see another man in town. This man had a young girl walking hand in hand with him, and the two looked at each other while holding a short and happy conversation. Ariel walked over to them, certain it was the same person she knew, and stopped right in front of them.

When he looked up, he gasped at her sudden appearance, but it soon turned into a smile of relief. "Ariel, you remember now?"

Ariel smiles at him and gestures to the girl at his side. "Ah, yes, this is my daughter, Grace." He looked down at the child lovingly. "I finally reunited with her. Grace, say hello."

The girl at his side dips in a small curtsy. "How do you do," she said politely and then looked questioningly at her guardian. "Papa, who is she?"

Jefferson smiled. "Grace, this is Ariel. She was the only companion from our land while I was away."

"When are you going to tell me about that?" Grace said with a frown on her face.

Jefferson ruffled the hair on her head. "Maybe later sweetie."

Grace was not deterred by this, and looked up at Ariel. "Will _you_ tell me about it?"

"Grace!" Jefferson frowned at her. "Where are your manners?" He looked at Ariel apologetically. "I'm sorry about that. And I guess your voice hasn't returned either, has it?"

Ariel shook her head, but she didn't mind this time around, because Jefferson had known her longer than the other citizens of Storybrooke, and this was her first time seeing him since the return of her true memories.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Why don't you join us for dinner sometime? I'm sure Grace would love to have the company of another person to play with." He looked down at his daughter. "How 'bout it Grace?"

Grace smiled at them. "Sure Papa. I want to see more of your friends."

Ariel gave the two a brief hug and resumed her walk to the harbor, standing with the scent of salt breezes crashing against her being. _'Someday'_, she thought. _'Someday.'_

**A/N:** Hi everyone. I'm so sorry for the late chapter—I know on the profile it said it would be updated in November, but the whole thing kinda slipped my mind since I've been busy with life. Although, I have been working out plot details for this story, so hopefully I can grill out some new chapters for you all pretty quickly. On a new topic, who has been up to date with OUaT? That last episode, The Outsider, was pretty shocking at the end, wouldn't you agree? And who here is also severely disappointed with finding out that Ariel will NOT be showing up in season two? Makes me terribly disappointed. Anyways, thank you for reading and please take the time to drop off a review—I'd really appreciate it.


	4. Notice

I will be brief. For a long time now, I have gotten out of the OUaT fandom. The ridiculousness of the writers and the screwy plot line has enraged me more than once, and I have desire to be a part of it again. That being said, although I liked this story and my ideas for it, I will not be updating any more. In fact, this will be deleted after a couple of weeks, because even though I have a vague/complete-ish idea for this, I have no desire or motivation to continue this at all, even though I normally always finish any and all fics I start. However, I can't do that for this story, because I don't have any will to write for it anymore. Sorry to all those who were looking forward to another chapter, and thank you for reading what I had of it so far.


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